The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-11-03
GORDON CINCINNATI.
Talking 20 the People of the RucReye
State.

CINCINNATI, ONO, October 2S.-
John B. Gordon, Governor of Geor
gia. made his first speech in Ohio to
night in the Democratic State cam.
paign. 1t was at the Highland
House, to an immense audience.
Vindicating the claim Of ex-rebels to
loyalty, he said:
In the great city of Augusta, on
an occasion when we met to do honor
to our dead comrades about their
graves, to cover them with fragrant
flowers. said this, pointing to the
banner of my country, which hung
overhead-'here hangs above US the
flag of this Union; let US honor it as
an emblem of freedom, of equality
and of unity, remembering that there
is not star on its blue field which is
not made brighter by the light re-
fected from the Southern skles-not
a white line in its folds but is made
wbiter and purer by that South's In
corruptible record in ofice-not one
of it's crimson strips that IS not deep
er and richer from Southern blood
shed in it's defence in every war with
foreign powers
NO NEW DOCTRINES.
Lam not here to talk new doc.
trines. l want to say to you again
that before the guns had ceased their
terrific roar at Appomattox ! began
this style of talk, and in the South,
in the Senate, in Boston, in Charles.
ton, across the Atlantic, everywhere,
1 have been appealing for peace and
unity and concord as the sorest leg.
acy for our children to inherit. Ap-
plause.
Let me mention another charge
that has been used with some effect,
presume, in this State-soug5t to
be fixed upon the Northern mind to
win votes against the South. Let US
see how much there is in 1.-THE
charge that we Cypress the colored
people. I have some tremendous
things to say about that. Will you
hear me? Cries Of Yes"
CoLoRED PEOPLE AT THE SOUTH.
The people were in slavery. How
they got there it is not necessary for
me to say to-day. History will tell
You about that. We found it in our
midst-it came to US an institution.
We love those negroes. Do you be-
lieve that? Let me give you few
facts. They were part of our house
hold; the negro boys On my fathers
plantation were the playmates of my
youth. The only fights that I can
recall that l had in my youth, were
battles for insults, as [ conceived
them to be, to my colorei plsymates
around me. Applause. On my
own place to-day-out in the country
there is not one white soul. My
furniture, my land, my all, are in
their hands to day. and has been ever
since have been Governor, and
while ,7as in the Senate. Who are
they? My old seritors. Among them
is an old mamma (pardon the expires.
sions) as we call her, now nearly
ninety years of age. Upon her bo-
som slept seventy years ago the
mother of my wife-later my wife
herself-later still every one Of my
children, and later still my grand
children-four generations.
THAT DEAR OLD FORM.
The memories Of all hover around
that dear old form. Why, sir, if you
could have seen the grieving of the
wife of my bosom for that decrepit,
old black woman when she was car
ried to the bedside Of the mamma a
few weeks ago when the negress was
lying ill-the strongest man among
you would have been moved to tears.
They have in their possession
those black people-all I have in the
world, and l feel as absolutely secure
at this moment as though I were
down there watching their every act.
How comes that? Did we Cypress
them when they were slaves? 1t was
law as inexorable as the law Of the
Medes and Persians that man who
treated his slaves unkindly was de-.
barred from society. [Applause.]
COMING TO THE PROOF.
is that so? Well, let US come to
the proof. We went to the war some
years ago and some of you will re-
member something about it. We had
fight. Everybody knew if the
South was defeated these slaves
would be made free men and women
and they knew it. They wanted to
be free. Oh, yes; there is no doubt
about that. They longed for their
freedom. Were they oppressed? If
they had been wouldn't they have
struck for their freedom when they
could? The North enlisted-and
was justified in doing it-a few reg
iments of blacks to fight against US.
In the old South, if we had proclaim.
ed their freedom at the beginning of
the war, We could have enlisted every
one Of them in our cause to @ man.
Applause.
Whr Ha Paid I'm.